The North Carolina Tarheels have a huge advantage in this game when it comes to rebounding. As a team, the Tar Heels are grabbing 42.5 rebounds a game, which ranks them second in the country. This enables them to get a lot of second chances on the offensive end, usually close to the basket, and they shut down the opponent's offenses controlling the boards on the defensive glass. In their first meeting, the Tar Heels were plus-17 on the boards and forced Syracuse into 14 turnovers. They have been getting excellent play from Walker Kessler, who led the team in scoring the last two games. Syracuse has not played well on the defensive end in recent games, allowing 49.5 percent shooting and giving up 78.7 points on average in their last three games. North Carolina should be able to crash the offensive boards against the Syracuse zone which will lead to a lot of easy points.

Play on North Carolina.